Black church

A black church??? I didn't know churches had colors? To quote Nelson Mandela in response to the judge as he was questioned at the Rivonia Trial...Why do you call me black, I am more brown really than black and why do you call yourself white, the truth is you are actually more pink than white!

 

I have visited churches where the membership was predominately African American.

Have I been in the minority ... I guess you could say I have. I was in a church service in China where my wife and I were the only 'foreigners'. My guess is there were 600 Chinese in the church, the alley way was filled with several hundred more Chinese and they rented a room in a building next door that held several hundred others who listened to the sermon from loud speakers. I was surprised when I saw that some Moslem men were there.

The church has five or six services on Saturday and five or six on Sunday. A young Chinese woman delivered the sermon at the service I attended. I am not fluent enough in Mandarin to have followed her. She used her Bible extensively during the sermon and the delivery was excellent.

A young Chinese couple who went with me were very impressed. It was the firs time they had visited a Christian church service.

 

I have preached in several African-American churches. We have traded pulpits in our association.

The first time set the standard for the rest. I had one sermon. But the Deacons, who sat on the front row began to amen the message more than I was used to, the faster I went. I went thru my 35-40 minute sermon in less than 15 minutes. :smilewinkgrin:

So now I bring 3 sermons.

I like the services better. I have learned to let the pastor, not the order of service, be the determiner of when it's right to begin preaching. I will think it's time, but he will say, "Wait". The choir or special music will sing 1 or 2 more songs and then He will nod.

When I was in Zimbabwe, I was regularly the only non-African in the services. They didn't seem to have a problem with me and I certainly didn't with them, although it took me a while to sway like the Zimbabweans do when they sing.

 

We went to a small church in WY. When the service started everyone in the congregation cept us went to the platform, one on piano, one on organ, one leading music and the other sitting.

We were the only ones in the congregation - that was uncomfortable :tongue3:

 

When I wrote for a local paper, I visited a black church to do a story on the musicians. A friend of mine tagged along and we were the only whites in the whole building. It didn't bother me at all as far as being a "minority" but I couldn't stand their style of music. It was just personal taste and preference on my part and had nothing to do with color. What I did find uncomfortable were the pictures of a "black" Jesus and another multicolored Jesus. The face and body were red, yellow, black, white, and who knows what other colors. I thought it looked freakish and disrespectful of the Lord. The artist was probably trying to get the point across that Jesus is for all races, I guess, but it looked really tacky.

Yes, Saggy, I have been in the minority. Try going to a big zoo and having to use a scooter. People either look at you with pity because you're "handicapped" or they rudely get in front of you at displays so all you can see is their backsides instead of the animals. It's EXTREMELY frustrating. I've learned to speak up and say "excuse me, I can't see" whenever I must use a wheelchair or scooter in public places. Otherwise, people are really rude or just don't think. My biggest beef is not with racism, it's with discrimination of the people with disabilities.

I've never seen people ignored or treated badly in public places because of their race, but I have been discriminated against MANY times while using a cane, walker, scooter, or wheelchair.

 

Love "black" churches. Only place I've been where I felt like they had no pecking order.

 

Agreed. I've been in a Baptist church comprised of all blacks. My dad loves to hear them sing. I do too for that matter. The preaching is very upbeat, but not like the fire and brimstone preaching. They just get into it in a good way.

 

A sad commentary.

 

I am in a minority every 1st and 3rd Saturday night in our Hispanic church start.

 

In all my years I have never attended an African/American church. I have listened to lots of A/A preachers via recordings. The music style doesn't appeal to me at all. Most of the time, I have not liked the preaching style. For example: the cadence (sometimes accompanied by organ music), the screaming, the preacher constantly wiping sweat from his face.

Oh, well...I guess whatever floats your boat! lol

 

Hmmm the churches that I visited displayed none of those things (as far as the preaching style is concerned). Granted the music is different but viva la diferencia, IMHO.

 

I am Caucasian but served for twenty years as pastor of a church whose membership was 90+% African-American. We did not, however, "sound" like a stereotypical African-American church. We were liturgical and for the most part "quiet". In fact, if/when I would get impassioned or prolix I could count on someone reminding me, "Now pastor, we left those churches that go all day to come here where the service would be only an hour!"

 

I used to early on make visits to hospitals to visit one on one and preach a service. One Sunday after having preached in a hospital I began making room visits from those who requested it. About the third room I cam to I opened the door of a single bed room where I found three black women dressed in their Sunday best (hats and all) waiting for the church service to start. I told them that it was finished and they were very disappointed. So I said I would preach again and they loved it. I preached to three black women right there in that single room.

One of the best times I had preaching.

 

Any foreigner in an Asian country is a minority. There is much prejudice in Japan. We've been turned down on rental properties for a house or church because of being foreign and/or Christian. We get funny looks everywhere we go, kids staring (I grin back), stereotyping, amazement that we can speak the language. Some of this is that the average Japaneseis not used to being around foreigners, but some of it is real prejudice.